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Below, we analyze the snap counts on defense for the Cleveland Browns' Week 14 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Defensive Line
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| DL | Desmond Bryant | 37 | 66% | 4 tackles, 1 assist (5 combined). 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 3 quarterback hits, 1 forced fumble. |
| DL | Randy Starks |
26 | 46% | 1 tackle (1 combined). |
| DL | Danny Shelton | 21 | 38% | 1 tackle (1 combined). |
| DL | Xavier Cooper | 20 | 36% | 2 tackles, 1 assist (3 combined). 0.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit. |
| DL | Jamie Meder | 13 | 23% | No stats registered. |
| DL | John Hughes | 12 | 21% | 1 assist (1 combined). |
The Browns are 21st in the NFL with 26 sacks, after logging 9 sacks against Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers. 9 sacks is the most in the NFL for any individual game this season, and the most the franchise has had in a single game since 1993. When you take away the 8 sacks against the Titans and the 9 sacks against the 49ers, the Browns have had 9 sacks in their other 11 games combined.
Outside Linebacker
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| OLB | Paul Kruger | 37 | 66% | 1 quarterback hit. |
| OLB | Armonty Bryant | 34 | 61% | 7 tackles (7 combined). 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits. |
| OLB |
Nate Orchard |
24 | 43% | 2 tackles (2 combined). 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits. |
| OLB |
Barkevious Mingo |
9 | 16% | 1 tackle (1 combined). |
Paul Kruger was left out of the sack party, but did get a hit on the quarterback. Armonty Bryant logged his first sacks since Week 5 and leads the team with 5.5 on the year. Nate Orchard registered the first sacks of his career. We can't get too optimistic about the sack total against a bad 49ers team; when it happened against the Titans earlier this year, it certainly wasn't indicative of what was to come.
Inside Linebacker
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| ILB | Karlos Dansby | 56 | 100% | 1 tackle, 1 assist (2 combined). |
| ILB | Christian Kirksey | 35 | 62% | 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit. |
| ILB | Craig Robertson | 22 | 39% | 1 tackle (1 combined). |
Christian Kirksey had a nice third down tackle in the open field on former Browns running back Shaun Draughn. The inside linebackers didn't have to be involved for much of the afternoon.
Safety
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| S | Tashaun Gipson | 56 | 100% | 1 tackle (1 combined). |
| S | Donte Whitner |
48 | 86% | 1 tackle, 2 assists (3 combined). 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss, 1 quarterback hit, 1 pass defended. |
| S | Jordan Poyer |
13 | 23% | 2 tackles (2 combined). 1 sack, 1 quarterback hit. |
| S | Ibraheim Campbell |
2 | 4% | No stats registered. |
It felt like the Browns' safeties were invisible, as Blaine Gabbert didn't target them. For now, I'll trust that they did a good job reading routes and forcing Gabbert to hold on to the ball, leading to some of the team's sacks. Jordan Poyer spelled Donte Whitner by the end of the game.
Cornerback
| Pos | Player | Plays | % | Stats |
| CB | Tramon Williams | 56 | 100% | 5 tackles, 2 assists (7 combined). 2 passes defended. |
| CB | Charles Gaines | 55 | 98% | 3 tackles (3 combined). 1 pass defended. |
| CB |
K'Waun Williams |
38 | 68% | 4 tackles (4 combined). |
| CB | Johnson Bademosi |
2 | 4% | 1 tackle (1 combined). |
This was the best the Browns' cornerbacks have looked in weeks, as there were several aggressive breakups on third downs. The 49ers didn't have a quarterback who could challenge our cornerbacks deep like everybody else has been doing, so they probably instilled some confidence in the unit as the game went on. Johnson Bademosi saw his first two snaps on the final two defensive plays, and it resulted in a 14-yard completion and then a 6-yard touchdown pass, both to Jerome Simpson. The coverage on the touchdown pass was pretty tight, though.
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Amount of Defensive Plays, By the Week
- Week 1: 61 plays
- Week 2: 80 plays
- Week 3: 71 plays
- Week 4: 65 plays
- Week 5: 70 plays*
- Week 6: 84 plays*
- Week 7: 53 plays
- Week 8: 81 plays
- Week 9: 67 plays
- Week 10: 66 plays
- Week 11: Bye Week
- Week 12: 59 plays
- Week 13: 57 plays
- Week 14: 56 plays